Breathing Breathless
by ShinyThingsGirl
Summary: Tori and Jade are stuck working on a project together again but a startling turn of events leaves Tori thrown off balance. Ignoring all interpretive thinking, Tori let's the chips fall where they may. Takes place after Wok Star. Tori/Jade
1. Chapter 1

The thing about Hollywood Arts was that it was a small school. At least small in the sense of its classroom sizes which of course was the point. Talent needed to be nurtured and the best way to do that was allowing the educators to focus on students directly. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when Tori once again found she was paired up with Jade on a project. Since to some extent, Tori helped her with her play production, most of the animosity between them had cooled. However that didn't mean they were friends necessarily. Fortunately this time it wasn't a project which would risk Tori getting punched in the face – although having already experience that thanks to Cat, the idea wasn't as daunting as before.

The assignment required putting together a short film based on a novel that hadn't yet been butchered by Hollywood and thrown onto the silver screen. Nothing fancy, this was made only to test their understanding of proper narrative. The problem started when Jade said nothing to her during class even though most of the other partners were exchanging ideas. Tori wasn't exactly eager to get started either and regardless of it not being very productive, she was somewhat hoping they could put off having to talk about it at all other until the next day.

But then the bell rang and Jade was standing in front of her desk while she put her books away.

"Hey . . .partner," Tori said cautiously.

Jade's expression was always stony even when she was in a good mood so it was tricky for Tori to be able tell what was going on through her head.

"Be at my house at six."

Bad enough that they would have to spend time together alone, the idea that this time would be spent in Jade's house, Jade's territory, was too much.

"What! Why do we have to meet at your house?" Tori hated that she sounded like she was whining and that her discomfort was very much obvious to Jade. Jade smiled.

"Because your house smells like mediocrity," she said and left the class.

Beck watched her leave and then approached Tori, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"What she means is she has an amazing editing studio at her house."

"Aww! Beck switch with me. Please!" Tori begged standing up.

"No can do. Andre and I have our book already picked out."

"That's right. We're doing Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's about samurais," Andre said coming up behind Beck. The two of them then proceeded to make absurd karate yells and even more ridiculous kicks towards each other.

"It's going to be epic," Beck said to her, barely avoiding Andre's foot which brushed by his nose.

"Uh-huh," Tori responded, feeling more miserable than ever.

After texting Jade numerous times to get the address, Tori gave up and asked Beck instead. Then she had to suffer through one of Trina's melodramatic speeches about her time being valuable and how she was sure none of the other world famous singers had to drive their younger sisters around. They wasted another twenty minutes because Trina refused to get into the car without her Persian leather driving gloves.

In the end they found Jade's house with no trouble despite Trina's conviction that they would become lost and have to spend the night driving ceaselessly around L.A.

"You know if it wasn't for you and your diva-ness, this could have taken ten minutes," Tori told her getting out of the car.

"Just for that, you're walking home!"

"Oh please, like you were going to pick me up. You've probably got a eucalyptus bath soaking or something scheduled for tonight."

Trina pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "The doctor told me they were important if I wanted to continue having this beautifully radiant skin."

"Estaban isn't a doctor! He's a beautician. You can get a certificate for that online," Tori said leaning into the car.

"Enjoy being stranded sis!" Trina called out and hit the gas hard enough for the tires to squeal. The car lurched ahead and Tori jumped back to avoid getting hit by the swinging door which slammed shut from the motion. Tori following the car until it disappeared around a bend then tried to will her legs to go up to the door.

This shouldn't have been difficult. It wasn't like she was afraid of Jade. Jade had a sharp tongue and it frustrated her that she couldn't always think of clever comebacks quickly enough. It more than frustrated her actually - it rightly pissed her off.

Finally she began feeling foolish standing there and went for the front door. The neighborhood was reasonably affluent and Jade's monster of a house matched the other giants standing on the street. Her family, similarly to most of the other students at Hollywood Arts, was perceptibly well off. Probably more than well off, Tori thought noticing that this particular home stood elevated on a slight hill. The view from the north side was doubtlessly spectacular.

She rang the doorbell and waited. Then waited longer. Tori pushed the little, white button again suddenly nervous, wondering if Jade would be cruel enough to not be home. She was about to press it a third time when the door swung open. Her hand was smacked away from the bell.

"Yup, my door bell works," Jade said annoyed. She didn't move nor did she invite Tori inside.

"So can I come in?" Tori asked.

Still Jade didn't move and only studied her with those pale, green eyes. Then as if she silently made up her mind about something, Jade stepped aside.

Tori promised herself she wouldn't gawk at the interior of Jade's home but it soon proved to be difficult. The furnishing was sparse and outnumbered by sculptures and paintings giving the space a sense of grandeur. Tori felt like she was in a museum rather than someone's home.

"Don't touch anything," Jade snapped as Tori followed her up a light wood and silver spiral staircase.

"I wasn't going to," she shot back, tearing her eyes away from the sights of the bottom floor.

Tori wasn't sure what she was anticipating Jade's room to look like. Okay, that was a lie. She totally pictured black walls, black curtains and things made out of faux bones. But because that image was far too clichéd, Tori had simply dismissed it. Still she was not expecting this. Just as the rest of the house, Jade's room was moderately furnished with her bed, a desk with a large workspace and one set of shelves. There was also an austere couch facing a widescreen tucked away in the corner of the room. The only difference was that while the home's interior was painted in soft pastels, Jade's room had a darker pallet. There were in fact many things in black but it was done in tasteful accents which offset a fern green paint job.

The north side of the house, the one which faced away from the street, was on Tori's left and the wall on that side was overtaken almost entirely by a long window. It curved to an end where Jade's canopy bed stood on a spacious raised platform and let in a brilliant streak of the sun.

"Wow, we should hang out at your place more often," Tori said.

"Keep dreaming." Jade went past her to the desk.

Tori and followed her. "So you want to get started?"

"I didn't invite you over for coffee and conversation," Jade answered seemingly not letting up on the attitude.

"Oh you didn't," Tori said mockingly. "Well my evening is ruined."

"Watch it Vega. You're in my house. We've got sound proof walls."

Tori made a face at her and sat down at the desk while Jade switched her desktop on. She hoped that they could at least efficiently work together to get this done as quickly as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Two hours and little to no arguing later, Tori realized that they really _did_ work well together. In fact she was considering pairing up for assignments with Jade more often in the future. Not that Jade would be too receptive to the idea obviously. Although, she was surprisingly open to most of Tori's suggestions and all of her snarky comments aside, she even agreed to the short Stephen King story which Tori proposed.

Initially though, Jade rolled her eyes when Tori mentioned it.

"What book of his _hasn't _been made into a movie?"

"This isn't a book, it's a short story so it'll be easy to film," Tori insisted.

"Fine," Jade said leaning back on her chair with crossed arms. "So what's it about?"

Tori began describing Mrs. Todd's Shortcut and half-way through her retelling, Jade managed to find it online.

"Okay, enough!" She stopped her with a curt fling of a hand. "Your voice is annoying me. I'll read the rest later."

After the story picking was finished, they used the remainder of the time to come up with some initial storyboards, locations where they could shoot —Jade proposed a road nearby which was predominantly used for construction trucks and therefore didn't get much traffic— and what sort of main musical theme their short film should have.

"Just because we're musically inclined doesn't mean the damn thing needs a song," Jade interrupted Tori's superfluous rambling which was something she couldn't help doing when given the chance to compose something new.

"You do realize that we're going up against Beck and Andre right? And they'll definitely write a song. We can't let their movie be better than ours."

Jade studied her with those pale almost crocodile-like eyes.

"You've got a point Vega," she said, abruptly getting off the chair and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get something to eat. Feel free to start without me though." She left before Tori could say another word.

Her own stomach was growling which made it hard to concentrate. There was no doubt that Jade left quickly just to avoid getting anything for her. It's not that she'd let her starve but Tori imagined that Jade would enjoy making a big deal out of having to go back all they way downstairs to get food for her. She thought about following her through the house then decided it'd be easier to just argue with her once she returned.

She sagged in her chair and swiveled on it a few times. Jade's room was bathed in red and gold hues. Rays from the setting sun were coming in through the wide window and it reminded Tori of the magnificent view she earlier assumed could be seen through them.

Her legs cracked when she stood up and she stretched them for good measure. From one corner of the room, the view was indeed beautiful but Tori could tell that the prime spot was near Jade's bed where the elevation of the platform allowed for the perfect angle. She walked up the pair of stairs to stand near the bed and the sight took her breath away. Street and building lights illuminated the half of the city where skyscrapers by now blocked the sun beams. The other half shone as if on fire, the immensely windowed buildings were reflecting the brilliant orange radiance of the setting sun. How lucky Jade was to be able to see this every day. Of course getting to see it every day, Tori supposed she was probably accustomed to it which was sort of disheartening since it was so beautiful that it bordered on magical.

Too bad she wasn't writing a song about this view. Speaking of which, that main theme wasn't going to write itself and Tori knew Jade would more than gladly make some nasty remarks if she came back and Tori didn't at least have something down on paper. Preoccupied by the spectacle outside the window, Tori bumped into the drawer of Jade's night table on the way back to the desk. She hadn't been walking fast but the corner of the drawer must have hit a nerve because it hurt like hell. Tori rubbed the side of her knee and grimaced. Why was the drawer not closed properly anyway? Stupid Jade, incorrectly operating her furnit-

"Oh damn . . ." There was really no mistaking what she was looking at lying inside the drawer.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jade asked furiously from the doorway, her hand on the knob.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for the reviews and reading the story! I know not much is happening yet so I really appreciate it. I realize this isn't a very big update and I promise the next one will be much longer and come sooner. The thing is that I didn't plan on splitting this story up but I thought it'd be easier this way. So I had to end it here because I won't be able to break it up later on.


	3. Chapter 3

Jade marched over to where Tori was standing frozen on the spot and slammed the drawer shut.

"I—I'm so sorry. I just wanted to look out your window and then I guess I—"

"You guess you what? Decided to go through my stuff?"

If Tori wasn't so horribly mortified, she might have been more astounded that Jade was blushing as well considering that Jade never willingly acted like anything bothered her. There was nothing Tori could think to say. Half-words were coming out of her mouth while Jade's spread into a devious smile. In spite of the embarrassing nature of the object in the drawer, Tori's inhibition gave Jade the advantage and she knew it.

"Jesus Vega, it's just a vibrator," Jade said casually, in defiance of her flushed face. She opened the drawer again and plucked the purple vibrator out of its hiding spot. "Here."

"Uh-yeah that's okay." Tori took a tiny step back.

Some time ago, she and her sister decided to prowl the net for all these fabled porn sites that were supposedly _everywhere_ and certainly they found more than they ever wanted to see. So it wasn't merely the sex toy's presence that troubled her. This one however was unquestionably used before considering it was in the freakin' bedside table. Used by Jade. Tori felt the blush spreading down her neck and to her ears.

"It's not like I don't clean it." Jade held it out again.

Tori suspected she was only insisting on making her touch it in an effort to convince Tori that she was not at all humiliated. As if Tori should be the one ashamed for not being more blasé about it.

"Fine. Whatever," Jade said dropping it back into the drawer. "Gees, you're so innocent. Next you'll be telling me you've never watched a porno."

"I uh . . ."

"Oh wow. You haven't have you?" Jade said mockingly, crossing her arms and leaning back, almost challenging her to admit she it.

Of course Tori had seen a couple. Except this whole situation caught her off guard and while Jade was talking about porno, Tori was thinking about Jade using a vibrator.

But Jade was still staring at her, daring her to talk about it because she could tell it was making Tori uncomfortable.

To make things more awkward, Jade took a step closer and Tori's heart skipped several beats.

"You've kissed a guy before right?" She asked spitefully, knowing full well that Tori had done so.

"Don't be a bitch Jade," Tori said sharply. Now Jade was really pushing it and all just so she didn't have to be the one to feel flustered about the vibrator. "You know I have."

"What about a girl?"

Tori's comeback died in her throat. "What?"

She repeated it slowly, placing emphasis on each word. "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

"No. I'm not into chicks," Tory answered trying to sound unfazed but instead came off sounding juvenile.

"Never thought about it?" Jade asked moving in even closer, invading her personal space. "Never imagined how it would feel?"

Tori's heart hammered away in her chest and her mind raced to find an answer that would be daring. The truth was that she never thought about it at all and that's exactly what Jade expected her to say.

"Yes," Tori lied, not stepping back and definitely not letting Jade's nearness intimidate her. "What about you?"

"Not at all," Jade said easily. "I think it's disgusting."

Tori was fuming. It had been a trick! She raised her hands to shove Jade out of her face and that's when Jade's lips pressed against hers. It happened so quickly and yet the kiss felt unhurried. Tori's arms fell to her sides as Jade pulled back just enough to part the initial contact, their lips lightly brushing. They both leaned in for the second kiss, Tori's eyes fluttering shut.

With a hesitancy that wasn't typical, Jade carefully slid her fingers into Tori's hair, pulling her closer. The touch made Tori draw in air through her nose, latently parting her lips and Jade pushed her tongue into her mouth.

They stumbled towards the bed and together fell on it. The kiss continued with Jade pinning both of Tori's wrists on either side of her head. Not usually being the type to allow this sort of control or even like it, Tori was stunned at how natural it felt, how much she enjoyed letting Jade do it.

Jade's thigh came up hard and firm between her legs. Heat spread through her body like wildfire and an audible moan escaped her lips. That same devious smile spread across Jade's face and Tori hated it. Not in the sense of true hate but more of defiance. She pushed into the thigh but at the same broke free of Jade's grip. They jostled around, coming together for sharp, biting kisses in-between and Tori's hand found its way to the top of Jade's jeans. The button popped open easier than she thought it would and she slid the zipper with a shaking hand.

"What are you doing?" There was no panic in her voice but Tori could see the apprehension in Jade's green eyes. Tori was winning.

"What does it look like," She answered boldly. To her disappointment though, Jade didn't stay nervous. Instead she folded one arm behind her head as if to imply Tori was taking too long. No matter what, whether it was snappy retorts or this, Jade somehow managed to have the upper hand.

Without allowing for any further hesitation, Tori slid her hand into the open V of Jade's black jeans. She let out a steady breath and looked up at Jade while tracing her outline through the moist, teal-laced panties. The air around them felt heavy and without breaking the eye contact, Tori started to rub Jade's clit through the thin material. A whimper came out of Jade's mouth and she trembled. She turned her face into the side Tori's neck, breathing hotly against it as her hips began moving in cadence to Tori's hand.

Warm liquid pooled in her own panties seeing Jade surrender this way and she leaned over to kissed her with an intrepidity that surprised even her. Instantly Jade responded, rising off the bed slightly. The kiss was more heated than earlier with Jade nipping at her lower lip. Tori let out an almost desperate 'yes' when Jade's hand finally ran down the length of her flat stomach and slid under the waistband of her pants. She cried out when Jade's fingers pressed into her.

They both got lost in the pleasure, in the matched movements of their hips. A pressure which had been slowly building in the pit of Tori's stomach moved down to between her legs, getting closer that final release. But Tori could tell that Jade would get there first. She was roughly grinding against Tori's fingers, short moans coming out faster and faster out of her mouth. Finally she tensed and buried her face in a pillow away from Tori as the orgasm rushed through her. The hand in her own pants stilled but Tori hardly noticed. Watching Jade in ecstasy was one of the hottest and most beautiful things she had ever seen.

Once Jade recovered, she bent over Tori again, kissing her. Jade's hand started a more insistent rhythm underneath Tori's buttoned pants. Tori's legs fell further apart and maybe she'd feel indecent about it if she was capable of streamline thinking but Jade's fingers were devilishly dexterous. Minute flickers of pleasure rose up from where Jade skillfully stroked her clit and spread up to her chest making it hard to breathe. Then Jade did something Tori was not at all expecting. In one swift motion, she swept a portion of Tori's panties to the side and plunged a finger inside of her.

"Oh shit, yes!" Tori cried out, her hips bucking and impossibly, her face became more flushed. Within seconds, she was coming.

When her body had finished quivering, Jade pulled her hand out.

Panting and sweaty, they lay on their backs staring up at the leaf patterns on the translucent fabric of Jade's canopy bed. Out of the corner of her eye, Tori saw Jade buttoning her pants back up. Now that some rational form of thinking returned to her, she wondered why merely kissing another girl never crossed her mind before. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Did you come up with any lyrics or a chord yet?" Jade had gotten up without Tori noticing and skipped down the steps towards her desk.

"No," Tori said after a pause. It should have been evident that this would be something they never spoke of and yet Tori was surprised at how quickly that silent decision was made. "No I haven't."

She had all but forgotten about the song. There was no way she could put her mind back on the project. Hopefully Trina was only kidding about not driving her back.

"It's getting sort of late and I think we've done as much work as we can for now," Tori began while taking out her cell to message her sister as fast as possible.

"Yeah, you might want to get home before all the prostitutes and muggers come out. They really like to prowl this area," Jade said shutting down the computer and sorting out their collective notes.

"Right, I'll tell my sister to not pick up any prostitutes on the way here."

The phone beeped in her hand and Tori clicked the alert to see that her sister had gone on a four-message rant about picking her up but eventually agreed.

Tori's panties stuck to her uncomfortably when she shuffled from one foot to the other, reminding her of exactly where Jade's hand had been only minutes before. Thinking about it brought another blush to her cheeks and she looked up at Jade just in time to see her staring back.

"What?" Jade asked defensively.

"Nothing," Tori answered quickly. Her phone beeped again, no doubt baring a message from Trina telling her she damn well better be downstairs when she came.

"I'm going to wait at the door," Tori said but didn't move to exit the room.

"Yeah."

The moment felt loaded as if the previous incident required them to do more than just say bye.

"Okay, see you later then," Tori said breaking the spell and leaving. This was all new to her and it would already be weird enough at school tomorrow without trying to get Jade to open up about it.

* * *

**Author's Note**: So here's the third installment, posted as soon as I was satisfied with it. Hope you guys are enjoying the story and again I appreciate any and all feedback :)


	4. Chapter 4

The ride back from Jade's was beyond unnerving. With her glowing face and mussed hair she must have looked guilty because Trina accused her of drinking and insisted that she close her eyes and touch her nose to prove her sobriety.

Once alone and in the safety of her bedroom, Tori was cutting a rut in the rug from her constant pacing.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod." She mumbled the phrase repeatedly until the words became nonsense. What happened? What the _hell_ happened? One minute they were arguing and the next they were getting hot and heavy on Jade's bed.

"Oh my God," Tori said miserably to the empty room again, hiding her face in her hands. She sank down on the edge of her bed. The silence was agonizing and her thoughts were so boisterous it was like they were echoing off the walls. She reached over to the laptop on her desk and flipped on some music, not that it helped much. When she closed her eyes, it grew worse. She kept picturing Jade hovering above her, Jade's eyes turned dark emerald with desire, Jade pinning her arms not to demean but with mutual agreement as to who was in charge. There was a dull pulse between her legs and Tori, ashamed at her own reaction, thought that it was probably a good time for the proverbial cold shower.

...

The buzz from the alarm clock the next morning startled her and in the few seconds that it took to fully wake up, Tori was blissfully unaware of the previous night. Then of course it all came back and she threw the covers over her face. Sadly, a night's sleep didn't resolve anything. In fact she felt more foolish and angry than before, convinced she wouldn't have done it at all if it wasn't for Jade's infuriating teasing. So what if Tori liked it? Haven't they been constantly taught about raging hormones which irrationally stirred teenage sex drives? Meanwhile Jade was probably having a good laugh over how she managed to manipulate innocent, little Tori. She could clearly hear her saying, 'Jesus Vega, it's just some girl-on-girl action. Don't tell me you've never done it before!' No wonder Jade had been over it so quickly.

"Get up! You're going to be late!" Trina burst into her room and broke her train of thought. With the alarm going off moments before, there was zero possibility of being late but Trina was an early riser and took pleasure in barging in to shout at Tori as soon she heard it from her room.

"I'm not going to school today," Tori said from underneath her covers. There was a staccato of high heels on her wooden floor and the covers were rudely whisked away.

"Nice try but mom and dad didn't pay for us to go to that school just so you can spend the day in bed," Trina said already moving over to her closet and rummaging through her clothes.

"I'm sick. I ate some of that mystery meat they were serving yesterday," Tori said, sitting up anyway. A pair of jeans hit her in the face. "What the hell Trina!"

Her sister turned around and shrugged not too innocently then went back to hunting for the rest of an outfit she was picking out for her presumably.

"Are you okay?" Tori didn't notice until now that her sister was moving extraordinarily fast.

"Yes. Well no. I don't know. I bought this Sumatra Kopi Musang coffee from Indonesia. It really wakes you up. And possibly gives you a high, I'm not sure. Hey, look shorts!"

Tori nodded slowly watching her. "This isn't going to turn out like that foot fish thing is it? You do realize that some exotic coffees are gathered from monkey poop right?"

"Yes, yes." Trina waved her hand dismissively. "I did my research this time."

"Okay well as long as you know." Tori figured that in all probability Trina briefly scanned a Wiki article on the beans and it would eventually blow up in her face. Serves her right, she thought and got up heading for the bathroom to take another shower. She didn't really need it but morning showers perked her up more than fancy coffee ever could.

...

Tori took deep, calming breaths on the way to Hollywood Arts. Everything was going to be fine. Jade was spiteful but Tori doubted she'd be so mean as to tell their friends, and especially Beck, what they did just to embarrass her. Although anything was possible.

By the time the car reached the school's parking lot, she felt under control. Nonetheless, Tori subtly evaded everyone and rushed to her first class before the bell rang. The whole morning went by like that, with Tori's stomach in constant knots from worrying that at any moment she'd be stuck in a one-on-one situation with Jade.

At lunch however, it became rather obvious that Jade had no intention of speaking to Tori either which would have been perfect if not for their project. Actually if Tori hadn't been so overburdened herself, she might have noticed Jade wasn't being as insulting as usual. Even when Tori took a huge bite of her chicken shwarma and all the filling fell out the other end, Jade kept her mouth shut instead of some sarcastic remark regarding Tori's need of an education on holding wraps.

So when the end of day bell rang, Tori stood at her locker, pretending to be organizing things in there and waited till most other students disappeared. She watched Beck kiss Jade goodbye and hurried over.

"We need to talk." Tori said the infamous words a little more than under her breath.

"I'm assuming you don't mean the project," Jade said, not sparing her a glance.

Tori readjusted her purse on her shoulder. "Look, I get it okay? I'm naïve and self-conscious about stuff like that, you proved your point. Can't we just forget that it happened?"

At that Jade stopped midway through throwing a binder on an upper shelf. "Fine," she said shrugging. "It didn't happen. Better?"

There was an odd coldness to her voice which Tori couldn't understand but Jade didn't say any more so she chalked it up to it being all in her head. At least the whole thing felt a little more reconciled and they could move past it.

"We can work on the script tonight at my house," Tori said trying to get the conversation to switch gears.

"No."

"No?"

"Did I stutter?" Jade snapped, slamming her locker. "I'll do the first half and you do the second. We'll switch and edit after."

"That's not a bad idea actually," Tori said, considering it.

"I know." Jade gave her a mocking smile as she walked by her and down the hall.

"I'll email it to you tonight!" Tori called out before Jade exited through the school's double-doors.

Later in the evening, Tori sat cross-legged on her bed, typing away on her laptop. Writing the script was simple enough considering all she needed to do was stick to the source material. At the pace they were going, their film might even be done ahead of the due date. Granted there could be some snags along the way, especially with both of them going out of their way to hardly speak face to face.

Jade was remarkably prompt with responding to her emails and even though Tori busied herself with the work, she couldn't help reflecting on the way Jade reacted in the hallway. Sure, initially Tori felt relieved about not having an elephant in the room. But the whole thing felt far from settled. For starters what they did was so intimate that it was difficult to simply discount as nothing. Tori had hardly gone that far with any one of her boyfriends. She thought about how good it felt, how hot it was when Jade shoved the material of her panties to the side and— Tori shook her head to physically stop herself from remembering more. Heat spread across her face and Tori was glad for the distraction of a newly arrived email from Jade.

...

During the next few days, Tori and Jade never managed to be alone together. Just a coincidence of their schedules, Tori thought although she couldn't be positive. She wasn't sure why it bothered her one way or another either. Their interactions at school hadn't changed and to all outward appearances it really was as if nothing happened. Strangely though, Jade didn't even slyly taunt her about their little tryst which she expected to occur regularly and despite their agreement to forget about it.

The work divvied up quite evenly. While Tori wrote and recorded a short song, Jade edited their footage and somehow in spite of their segregation, the film turned out to be possible grade 'A' material. With Beck's help she and Jade managed to shoot their entire short film in the span of two afternoons. After some arguing and painful arm pinching, Jade got her way and the part of the eccentric Mrs. Todd. Tori resigned to be Homer who, for the sake of their film, was constructed as a female character named Hester.

Near the end of the week, Beck, Tori and Jade were attempting to get a few more shots in which Mrs. Todd and 'Hester' were driving through the wild territory of the short cuts. Robbie had convinced them he could add in special effects and to be absolutely confident that he'd have plenty of footage to work with, Beck insisted on additional shots.

"Act more scared!" He kept telling Tori as he rode beside the marine-blue convertible on his bike, gripping the sides of their make-shift steadicam.

"I am!" She insisted.

Beck halted the bike and Jade rolled the car to a gentle stop. They agreed she should drive no faster than 8 mph so Beck could actually keep up.

"Didn't you say there are trees grabbing at you and mutant animals on this road?" He asked resting against Tori's side door.

They both nodded.

"Then you should act petrified. Unless you don't know how," he said with a smirk.

"Hey!"

Beck laughed. "I'm just saying, I think this Hester should be more scared. Squeeze Jade or something."

"Say what now?" Tori asked, feeling Jade stiffen beside her.

"Holding the camera doesn't make you a director. So just be a good boyfriend and ride your little bike next to the car," Jade said to him.

Tori could hear the strained composure in Jade's voice and fought the urge to look at her.

"Actually I think it does. Or if you want, you can drive the car _and_ hold the camera." Beck made a cute face, sticking out his lower lip.

Jade looked toward the road again and Beck took that as a sign that she conceded.

"Okay, action!" He called out, already beginning to pedal away and turning the lens on them.

Ridged and concentrating on staying in character, Jade repeated her line. "Watch out here Hester. One of those grabbed me a month ago and gave me an Indian burn."

Tori feigned ducking her head away from imaginary (hopefully CGI) branches. Then, as per Beck's suggestion, she hugged Jade's side, hiding behind her shoulder. Before she knew it, she was breathing in the fresh, green-apple scent of Jade shampoo and exhaling softly into Jade's ear. Jade bit her lip and quickly shot Tori a glance out of the corner of her eye but continued driving at a regular pace. Her knuckles were white from the death grip she had on the steering wheel.

"That's a cut!" Beck yelled from a little distance away. "Perfect you guys!"

When the car stopped, Tori's hands still clung to Jade's shoulder. With apprehension, Jade turned to look at her, swallowing thickly and everything became clear. It had never been a spiteful prank and Tori was stupid to think otherwise. In those celadon eyes, she saw what they both strived all week to avoid seeing; Jade wanted to devour her. And Tori wanted to let her. She breathed out unevenly, her heart beating wildly and spell didn't break until Beck jogged up beside the car.

"Hey, everything okay?" He asked, mistaking it for a different kind of friction.

"Sure is," Jade said not taking her eyes off Tori. "Tori was just saying how she was going to walk home."

"You did?" Beck asked, very much surprised.

"I . . . did. Yeah I'm going to ride the bike actually. Get some exercise, you know, breathe that fresh Los Angeles air." Tori hopped out of the car and was already walking backwards to the bike, leaving Beck standing on the road. The bike wobbled when she got on it, unsteady due to the camera still attached to it. Begrudgingly, Tori rode up to the car and planted the camera in the back seat.

"Won't be needing that," she stated the obvious. "See you at school tomorrow!"

Tori hit the pedals hard, wanting to get out of there before Beck decided to ask any more questions.

"But that was my bike," Beck said to Jade, more confused than ever.


	5. Chapter 5

All of L.A.'s traffic and pedestrian racket was a welcome diversion throughout Tori's impromptu bike ride, or rather, a good motivator for levelheaded thinking. How the hell was she supposed to deal with this? She couldn't avoid Jade for how ever long they'd be attending Hollywood Arts. To a certain extent, she wasn't even sure if what passed between them in the car was real, after all Jade did basically tell her to get lost. The one thing that was undeniably real was the rush she felt when Jade's eyes were on her. Fuck, Tori thought, how did I suddenly become so attracted to Jade?

She pedaled faster, wanting to either leave the thoughts behind or come up with some sort of solution. Neither occurred and instead she was left winded and sweating like a mad woman by the time she got home. While towing Beck's bike inside the garage, her cell chimed. Andre sent them all a message saying Sikowitz rented a marginal film theatre downtown to premier their short films. As it turned out, the theater just happened to be close to the nightclub where his cousin was working as the bouncer that night. Tori sighed opening the door to the house and wished she could get excited about a night out. Oppositely she felt overwhelmed. There was the project to finish, a music theory test, an essay on postmodern theatre, that yoga class she promised to attend with Cat and through out everything she'd be stuck reminiscing about the evening in Jade's bedroom. Perfect. Tori sighed and walked up stairs to her room with her head down.

o-o-o

A spotlight appeared illuminating the dismal burgundy curtain and Sikowitz bare-footedly stepped into it. Gradually the volume level in the tiny auditorium diminished.

"Hello everyone! Normally I would give a rousing speech about whatever it is that I assigned but the school could only afford to rent this place for an hour and forty-five minutes so let's get started. Oh," he said remembering something just before he hopped off the stage. "I brought some trail mix but you have to mix it yourself."

From the third row where they were all sitting, Tori could see two massive bags placed at the bottom of the stage; one filled with raisins and one with cashews. Robbie and Andre were already heading back up the steps with handfuls of each.

"What's a raisin?" Cat asked, selecting one out of Andre's cupped palm.

"You're kidding me right?"

She shook her head. "Do they grow on trees? I've never had one."

"They're dried up grapes," Jade told her.

"Oh! Neat!" Cat squealed and picked a few more out of Andre's hand.

She didn't eat them, Tori noticed, just studied them. Jade was sitting on Tori's right and the proximity put Tori on edge. For one thing, Jade consistently rearranged her sitting position, crossing her legs one way, then the other and each time seeming to 'accidentally' skim Tori's arm or leg.

At last, the lights dimmed and Tori heard the haggard sound of the curtain opening to reveal the screen. In total there were six films with Tori and Jade's playing second to last. Robbie indeed delivered on the special effects and even Tori had to admit that it really did look like the tree branch snatched at her. A faint blush warmed her cheeks watching the scene in which she hugged Jade out of fear and then she drew in a sharp breath because Jade's fingers were curling around hers, their contact hidden from view under the auditorium armrest.

The credits of their film finished rolling, the light returned and Jade let her hand go.

"Yes, yes very good," Sikowitz yelled over the applause as he once again made his way to the stage. "You all get A's. Except for you Robbie. You get a C."

"That's cold man," Rex said while Robbie just shook his head.

"I knew I shouldn't have done Lee the Rabbit with Epilepsy."

"It was a picture book! What did you expect?" Beck said.

"Also it was sort of inaccurate about epilepsy," Andre added.

"Also it was horrible," Jade threw in.

From the front, Sikowitz was trying to get the attention back to him. "Okay quiet down. I've picked the winner and it's Beck and Andre's film Musashi!"

"Alright!" Andre shouted and high-fived Beck. "What did we win?"

Clearly Sikowitz didn't anticipate anyone asking for a prize. "Um you win these two bags of raisins and cashews. Congratulations! Now everybody get out."

He disappeared under the curtain, which was strange considering there was nothing behind it except for the screen. All the students began getting up and steadily exiting the auditorium. At the stairs Beck and Andre turned to the rest of them.

"We'll meet you guys out in front of the theater."

"Why? Where are you guys going?" Tori asked.

"I don't think they'll let us into the club with those," Andre pointed at the bags of bogus trail mix.

"Or a doll," Jade said, staring at Rex.

"It's true," Rex agreed. "Just leave me with them bags of raisins and nuts."

Robbie shrugged and followed Andre and Beck.

o-o-o

By the time they arrived at the Syrup Apartment nightclub, the place was chocked-full. Luckily, as they were passing by a lounge area, the group of people sitting there vacated and Beck zoomed in to secure the spot. The smooth, dark leather sofas and low coffee tables provided tranquil areas and were located alongside the club's walls. Although there were quite a few of these sections with many people relaxing and drinking in them, the dance floor itself was packed.

Cat was the first to disappear into the crowd followed by Andre. Shortly after, a waitress showed up. Beck ordered a beer and then settled on the loveseat beside Jade to wait for it. With a lot of perplexing hand gestures which appeared to indicate that he was leaving to dance, Robbie went next. Not really wanting to sit there with the two of them, Tori went after him.

The variety of songs was incredible. Or so it seemed to Tori. Almost every single one caused the crowd to go crazy and the DJ did a great job of maintaining that high energy. Beck at last joined them along with Jade. In the midst of all the fun however, Tori repeatedly scrutinized them. Jade had her arms slung around his neck as they danced intently. Tori shouldn't have been envious. After all, it made complete sense for Jade to be dancing with her boyfriend so maybe what she felt was resentment.

When the current song finished, flowing into the next one, Tori used it as a diversion to drift a bit further into the crowd. If she couldn't stop analyzing it, at least she didn't have to see them.

It worked wonderfully and soon she was dancing with a cute, blond who took the opportunity during a softer part of a song to tell her that his name was Bastian.

"I'm just going to grab a drink. Will you be here when I come back?" He asked with a rueful smile and Tori nodded.

She continued to dance, closing her eyes and enjoying the music. Inexplicably as soon as she did, she sensed someone near her and opened them again. Jade was in front of her and they were, for the moment, separated from the rest of their friends. Flickers of excitement rose in her chest as Jade unhesitatingly started dancing with her.

"Who's the guy?" Jade asked, leaning in further than was necessary.

"Just some guy. He went to get a drink," Tori said, needing only to tilt her head to answer her.

"Let's hope he doesn't come back any time soon." Jade's lips brushed the shell of Tori's ear and Tori shivered.

The rhythm of the song turned heavy, their dancing turning more explicit to match it and Tori's shiver emerged as a red, hot surge. Teasingly, they brushed against each other until it became unbearable. Jade finally seized her hips and pulled Tori flush against her, still twisting to the deep beat. Tori's breathing grew heavier and she loosely wrapped her arms around Jade's neck. Their lips were apart by centimeters, they drew in the same air as they moved together.

Jade's mouth went back to her ear instead. "We should get out of here."

Her hand snuck into Tori's, their fingers intertwining and she tugged Tori off the dance floor.

A long, walkway punctured with shallow, decorative alcoves led to the club's exit doors and hand in hand, they made their way down, past scattered groups of people. They were about to step through the main foyer and outside, when Jade stopped abruptly.

"This way," she said dragging Tori away from the exit to a secluded niche near the stairs to the second level. The spot was deserted and they were almost completely out of sight in it.

Jade gathered up her other hand and folded them both behind Tori's back, slowly pressing her against the wall. Tori arched her back, testing how strongly she was holding her trapped arms and Jade's grip tightened on her wrists.

"What do you think you're doing Vega?" Jade murmured.

A sensuous, frustrated growl escaped Tori's mouth before Jade claimed it. The kiss was forceful, filled with passionately bitten lips; last weeks pent up constraint streaming out of them in waves.

When they broke apart, both under a bit more control now that some of the tension eased, Jade let her go.

"I've been waiting all night to do that," she confessed.

A bit dazed, Tori nodded. "We should probably find the others before they start wondering where we are."

They left the privacy of the niche and once again stood in the foyer where a crowd of smokers was just making its way back into the club after a cigarette break. Beck popped out from behind them.

"There you guys are! Andre's been stalling our cab guy for like ten minutes, let's go," he said automatically reaching for Jade's hand. The hand that only moments ago held Tori's. Jade saw where Tori was looking but before she could say anything, Beck was yanking her outside. Tori trailed after them into the cool, night air and told herself that she was not jealous.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Oh and just an FYI, Lee the Rabbit with Epilepsy is a real book published in 1989. Yeah, I don't know either. I just googled 'horribly bad books'.


	6. Chapter 6

"This is crazy mom! There's no reason I need to go with her!" Tori flung the jug of OJ back in the fridge and spun around.

"Tori, please," her mom placated. "She thinks you being there will bring good luck and tryouts are today."

Lying to their parents to get her way was such typical Trina behavior. Tori had already told her a few days earlier that she didn't want to come. Naturally, Trina cooked up some completely impractical excuse to tell their mom so Tori would be required to go.

"I had plans," Tori persisted. She did indeed have plans. She planned to head over to Jade's house and demand to know what the hell was going on between them. They hadn't spoken since the night at the club and the worst part was Tori didn't know what to say.

Her mom took a deep breath, resting her hands on the kitchen counter. "What kind of plans?"

Tori suddenly became very interested in her fingernail. She couldn't exactly tell her mom why it was so important for her to see Jade and Tori was always bad at lying.

"Fine. I'll go."

Her mom walked to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you. You're the best daughter ever."

"I heard that," Trina notified them, standing on the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh darn. Guess the cat's out of the bag now," their mom said derisively.

"You know, when I become a famous singer, I don't _have_ to buy my parents anything," Trina threatened.

Their mom laughed. "Good luck honey," she said and led them both out the door.

o-o-o

They were on the road for several minutes before Tori noticed that they weren't heading to the studio where Trina usually went for her voice lessons. If she wasn't mistaken, they were driving straight for L.A.'s theater center.

"Your tryouts are in an actual theater?" She asked astonished, viewing the Staples Center as they drove past.

"It's a theatrical production Tori. Of course tryouts are in a theater," Trina said, concentrating on the road and the GPS.

It was obvious that she was nervous. Many times Trina was so obnoxious that Tori almost forgot she might be capable of weaker human emotions.

"It'll be fine Trina. You're a great singer." Tori wanted to calm her but her gentle tone did the opposite.

"You don't have to tell me that. Just don't accidentally steal my part again like you did for that showcase."

"For fuck's sake Trina! You asked me to come today," Tori yelled.

Trina honked the horn impatiently at the car in front of them that was taking too long to make a left turn.

"I know I did. But you could've dressed a little more conservatively!"

That afternoon had been scorching and as soon as Tori got back from school, she changed out of her sweaty clothes and threw on a yellow tank top and a short denim skirt. Maybe the outfit was a bit revealing but at least she didn't feel like she was going to pass out from the heat.

"You're unbelievable!" Tori said raising her hands in frustration.

Trina didn't comment and Tori hoped it was because she was feeling bad about what she said. Why Trina wanted her to come in the first place became even more of a mystery. For the tenth time that day Tori wished that at least one of her friends agreed to come along and keep her company. Unfortunately Cat had her yoga lesson, Beck and Jade 'had a date' —which is what Beck told her after Jade kicked him under the table— and Robbie and Andre simply refused.

"Once you've flushed out someone's bleeding gum holes, you really don't want to see that person again. Ever," Andre said.

The parking lot was full and Trina had to park at the very edge. Walking across it felt like walking across a giant frying pan. When they entered the theater, Tori and Trina both sighed in relief from the cool, air-conditioned breeze.

Trina's voice instructor hurried over to them and just as quickly led Trina away to one of the dressing rooms. Over his shoulder he told Tori she could sit anywhere in the parterre area. The last thing Tori wanted was to sit next to over enthusiastic, clap-happy parents and checking out the auditorium, she could see a good number of people sitting near the stage already. Luckily there was also a balcony. A velvet rope with a closed sign hung across the stairs up to it and a security guard was milling around near by. Tori didn't have to wait long for him to be distracted by some rowdy kids (no doubt someone's siblings who were also stuck attending) and then she ducked under the rope. She sprinted up the stairs and quickly disappeared into the unlit passageway leading to the balcony.

The sconces in the section weren't on either and the only illumination came from the stage lights below. Tori picked a seat at random and slumped down in it to avoid being seen. The seat was very wide and comfortable and if she wasn't careful, she could fall asleep here. Then again it would pass the time quickly. She shut her eyes, enjoying the secluded silence and immediately all her thoughts went to one place. Specifically, they went to what happened in Jade's bedroom. Generally, Tori was far from 'that kind of girl'. Furthest she let guys get on a first date was a good-night kiss and it took months of dating Daniel before she let him put his hands down her pants.

Jade was different and not just in the obvious way. She caught Tory off guard and somehow went past her defenses. Jade made her angry and frustrated and drove her to do things she normally wouldn't do and it was exhilarating. Again and again, they seemed to seek each other out despite all the fighting and the idea that she enjoyed Jade's taunting on some deeper level, a level that was exposed after Jade kissed her, was frightening.

Some loud commotion from the stage drew Tori's attention and she saw a quartet in the orchestra pit warming up their instruments. Over the dissonance, she heard a different sound and not from the stage. It was coming from behind her, emanating from the passageway. Someone was walking up the stairs and that someone was most likely that damn security guard. Alarmed, Tori debated between hiding amid the seats and simply agreeing to leave the section when he asked.

Already panicking, Tori's heart jumped into her throat when Jade appeared at the opening of the passage instead. Jade hesitated a second longer and then came down the short isle to sit down next to her.

"Is that your sister down there?" She asked nonchalantly, indicating the stage.

Tori couldn't stop staring. There were a thousand emotions clashing inside her, none of which produced coherent words.

"Uh yeah," she confirmed quietly after glancing down and seeing Trina.

"She sucks. I don't know how she got into the school," Jade said, making herself more comfortable in the seat.

"How'd you know I'd be up here?"

Jade waited to answer that. "Your sister's a bitch. If I had to come to her audition, this is where I'd be hiding out."

"Don't call my sister a bitch. You don't know her," Tori said, suddenly angry. Jade might be partially right about Trina but she was in no position to insult her.

"I know enough to see that you take way too much of her crap. You should've just said no instead of whining to us how you just _had_ to come."

"I did not whine," Tori said firmly.

"Oh no, woe is me! My sister is making me go to her audition! Who oh who will come and save me from my misery?" Jade imitated roughly what Tori said to them earlier that day in that southern bell accent which she for some reason reserved for her Tori imitations.

"So why _did_ you come? Aren't you and Beck supposed to be out on your 'date'?" Tori asked, her anger building.

"Maybe I didn't want him here."

Leave it to Jade to say something that would cause Tori to do an emotional one-eighty. She settled back in her seat and crossed her legs, thinking about how to proceed. "What's going on with us Jade?"

"I thought it was pretty clear," Jade said not looking at her.

"Actually it's not. You're with Beck. At school we hardly talk and it's not like we talk outside of school either." Tori did not want to let Jade know exactly how jealous she felt that night at the club. In fact, she had trouble believing it herself.

"Do you like it?"

"You mean do I like what were doing ?" Tori asked carefully.

"Yes. Do you like how it feels? Do you like it when I touch you?" Jade asked leaning in. Those green eyes entranced Tori like a moth to a destructive flame.

"Yes," she breathed out, surprised at her reaction to just the words.

"Good," Jade said brightly, pulling back.

At that moment, the stage lights dimmed leaving them in almost total darkness and raucous music began playing. Tori tried again.

"But—

"Shh," Jade interrupted with a smirk on her face. "The show is starting."

They were running through a scene in which Trina was put in the place of one of three back up singers. She continually took steps forward so she'd be in front of them until the director told her to stop. Jade tilted her head close to Tori in the dark and Tori got ready for her spiteful comment about Trina's actions. Instead Jade whispered, "Put your hands on the armrests."

"What?" Tori whispered back, even though there was no need for it since they were alone.

"You heard what I said." Jade's breath was hot in her ear.

An arousing quiver ran through her and Tori nervously slid both hands, palms down on the plushy armrests.

"Good. Keep them there," Jade said calmly, paying attention as the play unfolded on stage.

Tori tried to pay attention as well but it was difficult. Particularly when Jade tapped her hitched leg to get her to uncross it. Tori's heart raced in her chest as she realized what Jade meant to do. A cool hand came to rest above Tori's knee. Then Jade started smoothly massaging her thigh. Tori bit down on her lip as Jade continued to travel higher, tracing invisible patterns and occasionally brushing the hem of her jean skirt. Finally those violet nail-polished fingers disappeared underneath the material and Tori's stomach tightened. Jade's thumb moved in lazy circles against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, going further each time until she caressed her through the thin cotton of the panties. Tori moaned quietly, giving Jade's hand more room.

"Didn't think you wanted it this badly Vega," Jade said heatedly, no longer pretending she was watching the play.

"It's your fault," Tori answered.

"Are you saying I made you slutty?" Jade asked, applying the perfect pressure.

Tori moaned louder, gripping the arm rests to keep her hands there. "Something like that," she said once she was able to.

Jade tugged at her panties until she could slip her hand under the elastic. Going past the coarse hair, she slid her fingers downward and dipped in her middle finger . A small, desperate noise escaped Tori's throat and her nails dug into the armrests.

"You have no idea what you do to me," Jade said into her ear, her voice at last having lost all of its dominating tone.

Before anything else could happen, both girls heard angry stomping as someone came up the stairs.

"Shit!" Jade hissed and quickly pulled her hand out, wiping it on the seat while Tori arranged her skirt and sat up straighter. The music down below had stopped and the set designers were moving in different scenery for another scene. Tori had a pretty good idea as to who was stomping up the stairs.

"What are you doing up here?" Trina yelled as soon as she saw her. "I thought I made it clear that you were supposed to be my good luck charm? Why aren't you sitting in those seats and applauding each time I'm on the stage?"

Tori came to stand in the isle. She struggled to put everything Jade said earlier out of her mind so she wouldn't say anything too unpleasant. "Um maybe because you didn't approve of what I'm wearing."

Regrettably, thanks to Jade, her jean skirt was scandalously hiked up and made her statement a bit unwise.

"It's not my fault you chose to dress like a hussy."

Out of the corner of her eye, Tori saw Jade slowly stand up. "It's hot outside, you idiot," Jade said to her sharply.

Tori might have stepped in if it wasn't for incredible awe she felt for her at that moment. As well as the fact that she wanted to say those exact same words to Trina.

"Who the hell is this?" Trina demanded, directing the question at Tori.

"A friend."

"Well," Trina said crossing her arms defensively. "You can tell your _friend_ that dressing like that gets you attention from the wrong people. Although judging by what she's wearing, she probably wants that kind of attention."

Quick as lightening, Jade lunged out of the row of seats at Trina. Tori managed to catch her in the isle and hold her back.

"What do you want?" Tori said over Jade's struggles to get loose. Ultimately, Jade relaxed and Tori let her go. Trina watched all of it with amusement but Tori knew her sister enough to see that she was glad Tori held Jade back.

"Were going home. I don't like this production," Trina declared.

More likely the director didn't like her Tori thought and was glad Jade chose not to comment either. She wanted to stay with Jade but suddenly was insecure, wondering if Jade would use this as an excuse to run off.

"Sorry, but she's coming over to my place," Jade said.

Tori's heart skipped a few beats and she quickly tried to think of something to add.

"That's right. I forgot. We have uh some work from school to um . . . work on."

"Fine, whatever," Trina said seeing through the lie. "Mom is going to hear about this."

She spun around and went back through the passageway and down the stairs. They waited until they couldn't hear her anymore.

"You're such a bad liar," Jade said.

"I know! And once she tells my mom her version of the story, I'll be in serious trouble."

Jade took her hand and pulled her close. "It'll be worth it, I promise," she said with a wicked smile. "Come on, before someone else decided to come up here."

"Good idea," Tori said and both girls left the balcony.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I was planning on adding this initially but didn't however I think it might be necessary. Trina is just being extra bitchy this one day - she's nervous and angry that she won't be getting the part. If it helps to know this, she apologizes both to Jade and Tori in the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

If there ever was a perfect day to be driving a convertible, Tori concluded it was probably today. White heat from the afternoon sun bore down on them and fittingly, the light summer breeze diminished just the right amount of the temperature. Jade had thrown on a pair of black, boxy sunglasses and the wind was wildly blowing her hair everywhere, obscuring her sight. Holding the wheel steady with one hand, Jade tamed most of it except for one, dark strand which caught on the sunglasses. She swiped at it distractedly, missing each time. Tori reached over and gently tugged it free, smoothing it down behind Jade's ear. Jade's stiffened, her arms rigidly holding the wheel at ten and two and that nervous energy reached Tori. The adrenaline from the theatre was wearing down and suddenly Tori questioned just exactly what she was doing. She hated this. Being with Jade was like walking through a thick fog in an exotic jungle. New things kept emerging and Tori never exactly knew how to feel about them and spent most of the time lost. Right now she was thinking about how beautiful Jade looked, how much she wanted to say it to her, all while being completely confused by the thoughts. And if Jade's reaction to her affection was anything to go by, Jade wasn't positive on where they stood either.

Pulling up to the house, Jade frowned. There was a large, gray SUV in the driveway and she eyed it distastefully while she parked the convertible beside it.

"Who's car is that?" Tori asked observing Jade's irritation.

"My aunt's," Jade said getting out of the car.

Tori trailed behind, reluctantly shuffling her feet. "Maybe I should come over some other time." She wasn't exactly in a state of mind in which she wanted to meet Jade's extended family.

"As long as she didn't bring her crotch fruit with her, we should be fine," Jade said and peeked into the house through a frosted-glass window at the side of the door. Upon entering, two raven-haired, twin boys leaped on her almost immediately. Jade staggered backwards, using a hand on the doorknob to maintain her balance.

"Jadie! You're home!" One of them yelled.

Jade appeared to tolerate their clingy hug with good humor, then pinched them on the arms them when they didn't let go.

"Hey! Mom said you weren't allowed to do that anymore!" The other one protested.

"Your mom also told you not choke me," Jade said to them.

The two boys giggled, still somewhat holding on to her despite the pinches. They couldn't have been older than eight. Tori struggled to not act delightedly surprised at their obvious adoration of her. Last time the group of them did anything involving kids, Jade signed a little boy's card with some rather creative profanity.

"Where have you been Jade?"

Dressed in a crisp, charcoal suit, her father appeared from the direction of what was possibly the kitchen. Tori suspected that the man rarely wore anything but.

A tall, pretty brunette walked out behind him and came over to Jade, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. It looked like something Jade was normally okay with but felt a little embarrassed accepting with Tori there.

"Hi Aunt Stephanie," Jade said to her, ignoring her dad's patronizing demand. Mr. West appeared to not be too concerned with his daughter's cold shoulder .

"Hello sweety. Listen . . ." her aunt began slowly, giving her dad a side-ways glance. "I hate to ask you this but I need your dad to come and help me pick out a new car. Could you please look after Tylar and Dylan for just a little while?"

Jade's face turned into an expression Tori was much more used to seeing on her. "Don't they have kennels for these types of situations?"

"Jade!" Her father bellowed while her aunt only laughed.

"Oh I'm sorry to burden you this way. But maybe you and your friend could play on the Xbox with them," Aunt Stephanie said smiling at Tori.

"Xbox!" Tylar and Dylan shouted loudly in unison, causing Tori to actually jump a little.

"Sure, I don't mind," Tori said cheerfully nonetheless and saw the thoughtful look Jade gave her, as if she never in a million years thought Tori would agree to help her out with something so directly personal.

"Well thank you . . . ."

"Tori," Tori supplied.

"Thank you Tori," Jade's aunt said.

Her father stepped passed Jade and the twins milling around her legs.

"There's plenty of food in the fridge but I know you'll just order pizza anyway so I left some money on the counter," he said, signaling for Aunt Stephanie to hurry up and come along. As soon as they were out the door, the two boys zeroed in on them like wild hyenas. Tori stepped back, not being used to such narrowing intensity from kids.

"Wow, that's creepy."

Jade said nothing and returned their stare. There was some sort of silent dispute going on between Jade and the boys. When she crossed her arms, they crossed their arms.

"No, you are not getting ice cream before dinner," Jade said resolutely and straight away they two boys echoed their disappointment. The one who Tori thought might be named Tylar, pouted cutely.

"You always give us ice cream," might-be-Tylar whined. "You have to play Black Ops with us then."

This must have been a regular routine with them. It caused Tori to realize how little she really knew about Jade and that the only way she would ever learn anything more would be through deliberately invading her life. Jade certainly wasn't going to reveal anything willingly.

"Pleeeease!" The other boy said, interlacing his fingers pleadingly.

"See the pretty girl here?" Jade said to them, her eyes stating she couldn't believe what just came out of her mouth. She continued in spite of it. "She is my guest so you boogers need to do something to amuse yourselves today."

"Like what?" The other one asked.

"Like playing with the gardening tools. I saw a pretty sharp pair of sheers in the garage, I'm sure you can find something to do with those."

"Jade!" Tori exclaimed, grabbing a hold of one boy while the other one went racing off in the direction of the garage.

"Oh fine," Jade said rolling her eyes. "Tylar get back here!"

Tylar, who was wearing the red shirt, sullenly returned and Tori let the yellow-shirted Dylan go. They stood impatiently before them, swinging their arms at their sides.

"How about . . ." Tori began looking over at Jade. "We play hide and seek. You guys can go hide and we'll stay here and count to twenty—

"A hundred!" Dylan yelled right away.

"Okay," Tory said. "We'll count to one hundred and then look for you. How does that sound?"

"Works for me," Jade said with a satisfied smile on her face.

Tylar and Dylan dashed away in opposite directions as fast as their socked feet on the slick marble floor could take them.

"No peeking!" One of them called out, disappearing around a corner. There was a muffled thump somewhere in the house and a giggle and then silence.

"So," Tori started, standing with a hand on her hip and grinning. "I'm a pretty girl?"

Jade paused in the middle of hanging the car keys on hooks embedded in a wooden plaque opposite the door. The motto engraved above the hooks said 'Oh, Please! Don't forget your keys!'

Jade didn't respond and slid the key ring onto a golden, narrow hook as Tori approached her from the back.

"You think I'm pretty?" Tori asked again, poking her in the side.

As speedily as she lunged at Trina earlier, Jade spun around, clenching Tori's prodding finger and effortlessly twisting it back at an uncomfortable angle. Tori twisted along with it, bringing her close to Jade.

"You make inflicting pain a lot of fun for me," she said.

Jade's arm was entwined around hers, Jade's lips millimeters away from her partially open ones. Somewhere in the depths of the house there was another dull thud. Jade kissed the air in front of her lips and let her go. Before Tori could say anything, they were interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone.

"Let me guess. It's your sister," Jade sneered.

That's exactly what the display said and Tori nodded, taking the call.

"What do you want?" She asked brusquely. She was far from forgiving her sister for behavior that was disrespectful even by Trina's standards.

"Hey Tori," Trina said from the other end, stretching out the vowels of the words in a way she usually did when she was attempting an apology. Mom probably had a word with her, Tori thought and said so.

"Mom just pointed out that I may have overreacted. So . . . I'm sorry. I really did want you there."

"Didn't seem like it," Tori told her, watching Jade hold her elbow in one hand and examine the nails of the other. There was a shuffling noise and when Trina's voice came again, it sounded like the mouth piece was being partially covered.

"Did I or did I not lie to mom to get you to go?" This was true. "So again, sorry," she restated unmuffled.

Tori heard some muted talking in the background that was probably their mother and would explain why Trina had covered the phone a second ago. Then Trina exhaled theatrically.

"And I apologize to Jade as well."

"Trina says she's sorry," Tori said, lifting her chin towards Jade.

Jade glanced up from her nails, looking at Tori as if she just told her what she ate for breakfast that day.

"Uh Jade says thanks," Tori spoke into the phone.

"Yeah I'm sure," Trina responded, not too bothered by this. "For someone who you say hates you, she was acting pretty nice today."  
Tori turned away from Jade, cradling the phone to her ear.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well I'm just saying. She got all protective which was weird."

Tori felt a fluttering in her chest. "I guess," she tried to say casually.

"Anyway I've got to go. I need to lubricate my vocal cords. Ciao!"

Tori put the phone away. Jade was still holding her elbow in the palm of her hand, her fingers at her mouth and her black-lined, green eyes were pinning Tori down.

"What else did she say?"

"Nothing," Tori said quickly. "Maybe we should start looking for Tylar and Dylan."

Jade studied her a moment longer, then walked past her in the direction of the stairs.

"You check down here," she said making her way up the stairs.

o-o-o

After at least ten minutes of thorough searching, Tori determined that the boys must be upstairs or maybe outside. In such a large house, this decision wouldn't have come so soon since there were usually millions of nooks and crannies where two eight-year-old boys might hide. Minus the den, (the same one she had seen Sinjin sitting in during their failed attempt at homework on the plane) Jade's ground floor was rather austere and uncluttered. Large portions of the house appeared to be in the process of getting renovated. One room was scattered with paint cans, ladders and gray tarps so Tori concluded the renovations must be recent.

She made her way back to the stairs and was up halfway when the boys zoomed past her, almost knocking her down.

"Hey!" Tori called out. "Be more careful!"

At the sound of her voice, the boys stopped abruptly on the last few steps and stared up at her innocently.

"Where's Jade?" She asked, growing apprehensive.

"Um she's in her room," Tylar said while hanging off the banister. His brother was beaming deviously.

"Okay. What's she doing up there?"

"Sitting in her chair," Dylan answered and they both burst into a fit of giggles.

Oh no, Tori thought. She had no idea what these two were capable of but they were related to Jade so there was a lot of room there.

"I want you two to go play Black Ops or whatever. I'll go get Jade and if I find out you did something to her, there's going to be trouble," she warned.

She didn't know what else to say and if anything, at least the Xbox would keep them busy. The boys took off and Tori headed up the stairs.

The door to Jade's bedroom was left ajar. For some peculiar reason, Tori felt a bit like she was in a horror movie, like she was going to find Jade in a ghastly, bloody condition. This image stayed with her as she pressed on the door to swing it to open the rest of the way. There was a moment when the image in her mind merged with what she actually saw and Tori held her breath. Then she cautiously let it out through her nose because she was chomping on her lower lip to keep from laughing hysterically.

* * *

A/N: Just wanted to thank everyone for reading and a huge thanks to all of you who having been leaving me reviews. Seriously, they're amazing and they keep me going if I'm stuck on part of the story.


	8. Chapter 8

Large, opaque blinds were pulled down over the wide window that caught Tori's attention the last time she was in this room. The last section of the long pane was ajar and the blinds hanging over it lightly knocked against the frame as the breeze came in. Sunlight shown through the thin material, emerging diffused and pale and it endowed the bedroom with an almost unearthly glow.

In the center of the room, the fixed stare Jade was giving Tori could've curdled milk. This of course only triggered another laughing fit.

"You better be laughing at some joke you heard earlier," Jade warned.

The twins had gotten to Jade's extensive cosmetics case. It lay ransacked on the floor, beside the chair, with most of its tiny compartments pulled out. Not merely did the twins rummage through the case, they were compelled to give their cousin a makeover. Jade's normally, precise dark eye shadow had been extended almost to her temples where the streaks curled, making her look like a poorly produced Cleopatra. Gobs of lipstick circled her full lips and, in any other circumstance, would've resembled jester makeup if Jade's choice of shade was lighter. Instead, to Tori, the deep crimson colour conjured up images of blood and violence.

"Why are you just sitting there?" she asked coming further in the room.

At that moment a strong, warm gust rushed passed her, generating a draft and slamming the door shut behind her. They both jumped and in the processes, Tori noticed the exact nature of Jade's predicament.

Silver, very authentic-looking handcuffs held Jade to the chair. Who knew where two boys got real handcuffs from or how they managed to get them on Jade. In all likelihood, the cuffs were hers. It took Tori a while to ascertain the acceptable thing to say.

"How did they manage to get handcuffs on you?"

The angle of Jade's arms, folded behind the chair's backrest, made it impossible for her to free them or lift her hands higher than her knees. They would need a key.

"Stop asking stupid question and get the damn key!" Jade shouted.

Tori could understand her frustration, humiliation even but that didn't excuse the attitude. Maybe she had this thing between them figured all wrong. Her jaw set in anger, Tori spun on her heel to leave.

"Vega!"

Tori didn't stop, didn't even flinch.

Then, much softer, "Tori."

That got her attention. The way Jade said her first name grew goose bumps on her arms.

"Sorry," Jade said under her breath.

"That's the best you can do?" Tori demanded, suddenly determined to get Jade to break.

It must have been the handcuffs, Jade's helpless position in general, which incited this from her.

"That's the best you're going to get," Jade said. This time her rudeness was less harsh and more mischievous. "Can you get some of this makeup off first? It itches like crazy."

Tori pretended to seriously debate it. Outside birds were chirping and inside Jade sat stiffly, entrapped in her chair. It didn't seem real. She came and strategically stood over her.

"Fine," she said eventually.

Rolled up in a brand new package in one of the compartments of the case were makeup remover wipes. Tori ripped the blue plastic open and straight away removed at least five. The white oak wooden floor was definitely not comfortable under her knees when she got down next to Jade. Tori tilted Jade's chin up and paused, her hand uncertainly suspended in the air. Before Jade was beneath her, her authority limited in a way. Now they were at eye level and while she was still handcuffed, Jade's sheer proximity was like an overpowering drug.

Concentrating on the task, Tori ran the pad over her skin, taking large amounts of crimson wax off and smearing the rest. She paused again, this time at Jade's lips. They made tentative eye contact and Tori averted her sight to the full, pouty lips. She swiped the upper lip with soft, rising strokes, her heart ticking out a steady beat of anticipation as if it knew something Tori didn't. The wipe between her fingers was useless and Tori reached for another, fully aware of how closely Jade was watching her. She drew the new cotton pad back to her lips in haste, not wanting Jade to note her trembling hand. Left to right, she went in a series of slow, deliberate strokes. Slower than was necessary. The soft tissue of Jade's lips folded tantalizingly under the white cotton and all at once those lips parted. Tori's own parted in response and she drew a shaky breath through them. Somehow she found her voice.

"Maybe I should be taking advantage of this," she murmured.

"You don't have it in you, Vega," Jade replied intensely.

Tori's eyebrows shot up. Nervous or not, Tori suddenly wanted to very badly prove her wrong. With a minor flourish, Tori placed the used pad on the pile of the others and sat up on her knees putting her nose to nose with Jade. Uncertain, Tori put her body in motion before she could lose the bit of courage she had.

Just as she had in the car, Tori brushed a loose strand of hair behind Jade's ear, hardly registering how tense this made Jade. She kept her hand there, smoothing down her hair and working up the nerve to continue. She folded her fingers into the soft hair at the base of Jade's skull, her thumb resting at the sensitive spot alongside her ear. Tori tugged her near, their lips almost touching and time seemed to stand still.

The glowing sunlight, bird's chirping, the vanilla scent flowing through the room all faded as everything funneled into this one moment. Tori shot forward crushing her lips hard against Jade's and the absolute energy passing between them was exquisite. When Tori pulled back, Jade's mouth trailed after hers. All at once a thought occurred to her so clearly, it was like someone had whispered it in her ear. Bold, aggressive moves were Jade's forte but delicate, tender ones were not. Because she's afraid, her mind supplied for her.

Barring any further thinking, Tori bent forward again, their lips meeting fervently. Again when the kiss became heated, Tori withdrew just enough to be out of reach. There was a metallic jingling as Jade drifted forward and was restrained. Tori smiled smugly letting slow seconds go by before she leaned in a third time. She halted when Jade tried to angle toward her, Jade's lips so close she could feel the heat of them.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked, sending puffs of air against Tori's skin.

"Taking advantage," Tori responded, dipping her head and impulsively nipping at Jade's lower lip. Not expecting it, Jade let out a soft sigh. The sound made Tori's stomach flutter and she took Jade's face in both hands, pulling her into the kiss as she rose higher on her knees. Jade half-lifted off the chair, the small, plastic wheels scrapping across the floor. Tori was caught up in a whirlwind, hastily breaking the kiss, she transferred her mouth to just beneath Jade's jaw sucking at the skin there, making Jade moan.

Tori's hands had gone to rest on the arms of the chair. She wanted to touch more of Jade but she also wanted her to suffer a little longer. Tentatively, Tori lifted a hand to toy with the neckline of Jade's black and gray low cut top while they kissed, her fingers sometimes skimming across slight swell of her breasts. Finally her hand slipped in the shirt and she cupped Jade through the lacey bra she was wearing. Jade's breathing turned shallow, and she made a tiny, mewling noise when Tori's thumb brushed over her covered nipple.

If it wasn't for the piercing beep of the car alarm activation, both of them would be totally oblivious to Jade's father and aunt coming back. They broke apart mutually. For the first time, Tori became aware of the lipstick that had rubbed off on her own lips.

"Go downstairs and get the key," Jade said while Tori was dabbing her lips with a cotton pad. "And wipe that smug look off your face."

That little, intuitive voice spoke up in Tori's head again. It told her that Jade had a crush on her. It told her that Jade had a crush on her and that Jade was terrified of it and Tori suddenly realized that the feeling was mutual. It had gone beyond simple messing around.

"Yeah, sure," Tori said, addressing the first part of what Jade said.

Inside, she was freaking out at what she discovered. Getting up off her knees was too painful and Tori sat back on her rear first before unfolding her legs and standing shakily.

"We need to talk about us," Tori told her quietly, while massaging the feeling back into her knees.

"We did talk," Jade spat out. "It suits me and you said you liked it too or whatever so what else is there?"

Unconsciously Jade tussled with the cuffs while she spoke and Tori suspected that she hated the fact that she couldn't get away from this conversation.

Someone would be at the door any minute and Tori was running out of time. Her mind racing, Tori tried to come up with something substantial to say.

Voices came from behind the door. It sounded like Aunt Stephanie had hauled the kids up and was scolding them. Now the doorknob was rotating and Tori blurted out the first thing that flew into her head.

"I want to go out with you."

Of course it sounded brainless but she meant it. Jade's eyes widened and a look of panic came over her face right as the door swung open.

Dylan and Tylar stood there with their mom who was not pleased at all. She held Tylar up by his ear.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, this one," she said, twisting Tylar's ear more, "flushed the keys to those cuffs down the toilet."

Despite the hilarious predicament, Tori turned to Jade unsmiling and Jade stared back. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Then politely, Tori excused herself and left.

"What happened there?" Jade's aunt asked her once Tori was gone.

"Nothing," Jade mumbled.

* * *

_A/N: Once again a super big thanks to all who reviewed and added it to their favourites. You guys rock. The next chapter will almost certainly be the last one. When I had this story sitting on my PC, it was just 3 chapters long and MUCH different. So even though I love the way it turned out, I'm also glad that I can wrap it up and work on something new. Hope you all enjoy this installment!_


	9. Chapter 9

At school the next day, Tori avoided Jade. She spent a restless night thinking about exactly what to do when she saw her and came up with nothing. Paying attention in class took effort and when that two-tone bell rang indicating the lunch period, Tori jerked awake. Completely in her own zone, she trudged to the outdoor cafeteria and plunked down at their usual table.

"You on a diet or something?"

Tori's head rested on her folded arms. She opened her eyes to see Andre talking to her.

"I just sat down!" she protested tiredly.

Andre, Cat and Robbie exchanged looks and when Tori raised her head, she saw everyone was half-way through their meals. Robbie was actually finished.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"Oh! Since you sat there," Cat answered, giving no indication of time span.

Tori hadn't noticed up till now that Jade was sitting beside her. Whatever she was eating smelled divine and Tori's stomach grumbled.

Tori's restless night caused her to sleep right through the buzz of her alarm clock. In her rush to get to school, she skipped breakfast and forgot her wallet.

"I forgot to bring money," Tori clarified as to why she was sleeping rather than eating. She hungrily eyed Jade's meal which was chicken penne.

"Here," Jade said faintly, sliding the tray over to her.

All of them froze staring at Jade and Tori's heart skipped a beat. Even Beck was surprised.

"The chicken tastes like crap and a fly fell in it," she covered up, crossing her arms.

"That's just extra protein, girl," Rex said and everyone went back to eating, not seeing the way Jade gazed at Tori.

"Hey guess what?" Beck spoke up. "Jade and I are celebrating our anniversary. We're going up to my cottage for the weekend," he declared, putting his arm around her.

Tori's stomach knotted but she continued eating, not reacting in any way.

"Awesome, I'll bring my snorkeling gear!" Robbie exclaimed.

"He's not inviting us fool," Rex said to him.

"He's not?" Robbie asked, glancing around the table at all of them for confirmation.

Andre shook his head. "No man. They want to be alone," he said, giving Beck a knowing smirk.

"A nice dinner, some candles and a Saw movie marathon – just what Jade loves. Right babe?" Beck said, hugging her close and giving her a quick kiss.

That only tightened the knot in Tori's stomach and she couldn't swallow the bit of food in her mouth.

"I feel sick," she said, standing abruptly.

"Did you eat the fly?" Cat asked her but Tori was already walking away.

Tori didn't want to hear any more about Jade and Beck's romantic weekend. Jade pulled out of Beck's embrace and got up as well.

"I'll go after her. I want to be able to yell at her if she's throwing up."

o-o-o

Tori scrounged up some change from her purse and bought a bottle of water. She was leaning against locker, sipping it when Jade caught up to her.

"What do you want?" Tori asked briskly, not letting Jade get a hint of the warm sensation which spread through her chest when she saw that Jade chased her.

"Janitor's closet. Now," Jade said angrily.

Tori stood still and so did Jade, both of them waiting for the other to yield first.

"Fine, whatever." Tori was finished playing these stupid games with Jade.

It took everything she had to admit to Jade how she felt and Jade couldn't even call. Tori had kept her cell on all night. She capped the bottle and headed for the cramped maintenance room.

Going in first, Tori was completely not ready for getting spun around and pressed against the closed door. Jade was on her instantly, smashing their lips together, piercing Tori's mouth with her sharp tongue. Overwhelmed, Tori allowed her to take advantage, surrendering to her.

"Wait . . . wait," she panted even as she curved her neck to Jade's mouth. "Are you still going to the cottage?"

That put a stop to Jade's ministrations and she released Tori with exasperation.

"What does it matter?" Jade argued and Tori knew that she was positively aware of why it should matter. She wasn't about to let her off the hook that easily.

"Are you kidding?"

"I don't have to have this conversation," Jade said, trying to get passed her and to the door.

"Yes, you do," Tori countered, smacking her hand away from the knob.

"Move out of the way Vega. Or I'll make you move."

Jade said it flat and lacking emotion and it destroyed any prospect Tori had about the possibility of any sort of relationship. Maybe she was wrong thinking Jade felt something more for her. Tori moved out of her way and Jade left without another word.

o-o-o

After the incident in the janitor's closet, Tori and Jade didn't as much as glance at each other at school. The weekend loomed ever closer and Tori continued to tell herself that she didn't care. On Friday afternoon, as a distraction, Tori decided to go for a bike ride. She had yet to give Beck is bike back. The weather was as scorching as ever and even though she was about to go biking, Tori had a light, cottony skirt on. She was wearing boy cut panties underneath so she figured it'd be alright.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Tori was nearing Jade's street. She knew Jade and Beck would be packing up to leave for the weekend and told herself she was just returning his bike.

As expected, the two of them were standing in driveway when she rode up. A huge, bulky cooler was giving Beck a hard time by not wanting to fit into the tiny space left in his car's back seat. Beck had his back against it, holding it from the bottom and was attempting to cram it.

"Hey!" Tori said causally despite her heart beginning to thud in her chest at the sight of Jade.

"Oh hi Tori. I see I'm finally getting my bike back," Beck said, adjusting his grip on the cooler.

Tori hardly heard him although she faked paying attention.

"Beck?" Jade said, her eyes on Tori.

"Yeah babe?" He had gone back to pushing the unrelenting bulk into the backseat again. It didn't budge an inch but because he had made up his mind on getting it in, Beck would do so whether it was possible or not.

"There's a smaller cooler in the kitchen. Just go and repack the food."

The minute Beck stopped pushing, the cooler fell to the driveway. Clearly, repacking it was the logical solution but he looked crestfallen. He sighed, picked it up, holding it against his chest, and went inside.

"What the hell are you doing here Vega?"

Tori said nothing and stood stupidly holding up the bike. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, something dangerously honest might come out.

"Don't go with him," was all she could think to say.

Jade stomped over to her, her nose flaring, her jaw set and for a second Tori thought she was going to hit her.

"I don't know what you think is going on with us but whatever little fantasy you've got dreamed up, cut it out."

"You kissed _me_." Tori said through her teeth. "You started this." Her hands squeezed the bike's handlebars, nails digging in, leaving marks in the soft rubber.

"Yeah, well now I'm stopping it," Jade said, going over to the side of the car where one of the windows was rolled down.

Popping in bent at the waist, Jade rearranged a few things in the backseat with one hand while holding on to the window frame with the other. Tori left the bike propped on its kickstand and came to slump against the side of the car where half of Jade's torso disappeared inside. Never one to let things be easy, Jade completely ignored her.

"You're just afraid," Tori said, thinking the provocation would reach her.

"Oh what the fuck Tori! Afraid of what exactly? Afraid of being attracted to girls?" Jade ridiculed, talking to her through the car's back window.

"No," Tori said softly, shaking her head.

She curled her fingers around Jade's wrist, her thumb delicately skimming the vulnerable underside of Jade's forearm. "Afraid of being attracted to me."

In one fluid motion, Jade ducked out of the car and recoiled away from Tori, cradling her arm as if Tori hurt it rather than held it. Her eyes, big and green, nervously darted to the door, checking if Beck returned. But they were still alone in her driveway.

"Leave," Jade uttered, putting more distance between them. "Leave now. Please."

If Jade had been angry, if she insulted her, if she had thrown out a lie about it all not meaning a thing to her, Tori would have left.

But Jade's eyes glistened in the afternoon sun, her inner lip was pinched in her teeth and Tori felt her own eyes prickle. She couldn't continue looking at her. The situation unexpectedly turned serious and Tori didn't even know how it happened.

There was a loud thud when Beck stumbled through the door holding the other, smaller cooler. He almost dropped it coming down the steps to the car.

"There was a lot of meat in there," he said putting the plastic container on the ground and sweeping his hair back.

That's when Beck noticed something was amiss. Both girls stood still, hardly acknowledging his presence and Beck normally did not have issues with girls not noticing him.

"Should I go back to the house again?" He asked, looking from Jade to Tori.

He really was a sweet guy and because he was physically there, physically in front of her, it gave Tori a guilty conscience. Yes, she did want Jade to be with her, as crazy as that sounded even in her head. Except now she wished it could happen without Beck getting hurt.

"No. Just get that in the car and we're done," Jade said, a little more under control.

The cooler went in with no trouble and Beck circled the car to get in the driver's seat. Without a second glance, Jade went to the passenger side. Just like that, the conversation was over and Tori couldn't help feeling that something important slipped away. Something she could have caught that might've changed the outcome. But it was too late and the engine was roaring to life and then Beck was backing out of the driveway. The car stopped beside her.

"You can hang onto my bike until Monday," Beck said to her through the open window.

Jade was looking in the opposite direction. Opening his mouth, Beck wanted to add something else then changed his mind.

"See ya in a few days."

The car swooped down the rest of the drive, completed a three-point turn and speedily closed the distance to turn out of Jade's cul-des-sac.

Tori's hands felt heavy and she struggled to lift them on the handle bars of the bike. She kicked the stand up but couldn't seem to get on the bike. Preferably, she stared off into space, her mind as confusingly blank as her gaze.

Maybe she was crazy. Two weeks ago, she was the Tori who, aside from wild occasional hijinks, lead a normal teenage life. Fourteen days later, she was the Tori who had kissed a girl, had a girl's hand in her panties, and had that girl turn her world upside down.

That wasn't important anymore though. It was over.

Tori led the bike down the slight slope of the driveway and had one foot on the pedal when she heard the screech of tires. Suddenly Beck's car appeared at the end of the street, coming to a jerking stop. The door opened, Jade got out with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder and started walking while the car drove away. Tori thought the bright, afternoon sun had induced a hallucination because she couldn't possibly be seeing that.

Time seemed to divide. It seemed to progress in jumps because Jade was no longer at the bottom of the street but was standing right in front of Tori. Jade's face was a mirage of emotions which only promoted the idea that Tori was hallucinating.

"I couldn't do it," Jade said, her voice horse.

Tori wasn't sure what it was Jade couldn't do specifically but knew not to interrupt.

"I couldn't go with— I didn't want to go with him."

Something radiant and barbed unfolded behind Tori's ribcage and she drew in a ragged breath. A million things to say rushed through her like a film set on fast-forward and Tori settled on the simplest one.

"Anyone home at your place?"

o-o-o

Jade led her into her bedroom and closed the door. She dropped the duffle bag near her walk-in closet.

"Come here," she said softly, outstretching her hand to Tori.

Tori walked over on unsteady legs. She took her hand and Jade pulled her up the three steps to stand next to her bed.

"Sit," Jade ordered and lightly shoved Tori backwards so that Tori had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed.

Palms resting on top of Tori's naked knees, Jade bent down to kiss her. Chaste caresses hastily became lustful and Tori opened her mouth, inviting Jade in. The hands planted on her knees, pushed them apart. Under the skirt, Jade plucked at her pale orchid boy panties, slipping them down Tori's slender legs. She broke the kiss and knelt down in front of Tori.

"Jade I— " was as far as Tori got.

The words became an extended moan when Jade's mouth fastened on her, hot and engulfing. No one had ever done this to her and Tori's brain buzzed with white noise. She looked down and seeing Jade's head between her legs made everything sharper. Tori fell back on the bed. Jade shortly wiped her mouth and followed.

They didn't so much undress as tear off each other's clothes. There was no taut duvet or abundance of decorational pillows covering the bed and they effortlessly slipped in under the covers. Side by side, Tori's tanned body moved languidly against Jade's beautifully pale one. Their exploring hands finally settled in the place both girls were aching and again time felt disordered to Tori, its existence between the sheets progressing slower than regular time. Her eyes shut and her breathing snagged in her throat when Jade's fingers entered her. Still on her side, Tori hitched her knees to her chest and rode the hand between her legs. Jade's hotly, whispered encouragements as her hand worked faster kindled an orgasm which left Tori shaking. Impatiently, Tori wanted to return the favor.

"Lie on your back," she told Jade, getting on top of her and sneaking a hand down between their lean bodies. Words started pouring out of Tori's mouth she never thought she'd be capable of saying, her fingers pushing in skillfully and setting Jade ablaze. Jade grabbed at the sheets, begging for more but both of them were unprepared for how far it would actually go. When Tori ultimately asked, "Do you want me to?", Jade desperately nodded and Tori reached into the drawer of Jade's bedside table.

o-o-o

Another gorgeous sunset greeted Tori when she came out of the adjoining bathroom in Jade's room. The shower had been refreshing and Tori only wished she had clean clothes to change into. Jade stood in front of a full-length mirror combing her semi-wet hair. The mirror was opposite of the window and it the caught sun's rays, reflecting shards of orange and red across the room. Tori looked at Jade in the mirror for a long time until they made reflected eye contact. Jade halted brushing her hair.

"What?"

Tori didn't want to ruin the evening but she had to know.

"What did you tell Beck?"

Jade looked away, scrutinizing her hairbrush.

"I said I changed my mind about going," she said simply.

Part of Tori already knew she hadn't told Beck the real reason. Truthfully, even Tori wasn't sure of the real reason.

"And how did he take that?"

"He was pissed off, what the hell do you think!"

Jade disappeared into the bathroom. There was a clank as she threw down the brush on her counter. When she came out, she pointedly ignored Tori.

Tori's next question was going to be even more difficult but just as with the first one, it would dig at her till she asked.

"Isn't this sort of like cheating on him?"

"No," Jade answered at once.

"No? How is it not?" Her brain kept saying shut up and her heart said to keep going.

"Because I'm not— " Jade stopped, as if for the first time realizing she was saying this aloud and not just thinking it. "Because I'm not into chicks."

Before Tori could so much as open her mouth to state her confusion, Jade spoke again, her words rushing out.

"I don't get what's going on okay? I've never thought about girls like that. When I walked in and you were standing by my bed with _that_ in your hand, something just . . . I don't know, went off."

This was probably the most insightful thing Jade had said to her and probably more than she wanted to say.

"So why isn't it cheating then?" Tori asked, a playful smile playing at the corners of her lips. She didn't want Jade angry, she just really wanted to know her reasoning.

"Because it's like an adventure," Jade said. She continued when Tori's eyebrows shot up doubtfully. "You know, like white-water rafting or skydiving."

"Like skydiving?" Tori repeated, suddenly realizing how much she liked spending time with Jade. "Yeah, I guess it does feel a bit like free falling," Tori said humorously, after thinking about it for a moment.

A smile ghosted Jade's lips and she came to stand in front of Tori, mimicking her tender gestures and tucking wild strands of hair behind her ears. Her hands came to rest on Tori's shoulders.

"I'm glad you see it my way," Jade said not unkindly.

Tori's smile widened at that. She'd leave the tougher questions for later. For now, she was content just being here with Jade.

o-o-o

A few students including Beck were already inside the classroom on Monday morning when Tori got there. Beck waved then gave her a questioning look when she sat further back than usual. Things between Jade and Beck were patched over and all right but Tori was absurdly worried that somehow he'd figure out what was going on just by looking at her face.

She shrugged at him from her far seat and just as he was about to say something, Jade came in through the door in a maroon trimmed, black wrap-over top that showed off a lot cleavage. Wearing black skinny jeans and her maroon combat boots to match, Jade slowly strut past Tori's desk and sat down next to Beck. Has Jade always dressed this hot or am I loosing my mind, Tori wondered until Beck whistled and asked her who she was trying to impress.

"Do you have another boyfriend in this class I should know about?" He joked.

"Yeah, maybe I do," she retorted and Beck laughed, leaning down to pull something out of his bag. Jade's eyes flicked to Tori for a second and then they were back on Beck as he sat up.

Tori wasn't sure what would end up happening with her and Jade but no matter what, she definitely going to enjoy the ride.

* * *

_A/N: So that's it. Hope you guys liked it and thanks for sticking around for nine chapters. I can't believe how long this story got and didn't think I could finish it which is why I was so grateful for all the reviews. But it's done now and I can move on to some other Jori stuff - PWP stuff probably just to counterbalance this monster :P_


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